Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has formally launched its own media and information literacy initiative, Mapanuring Meralco, to empower employees and stakeholders to always uphold truth and apply critical thinking when navigating the increasingly complex media landscape.
Aligned with UNESCO’s Global Media and Information Literacy Week that ran from October 24 to 31, the initiative underscored Meralco’s commitment to promoting responsible communication and helping build a more informed and discerning society amid the rapid spread of information and the growing challenge of misinformation.
Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga emphasized that the week-long event aims to advance media and information literacy and create a more discerning society where the truth thrives.
“We join the global observance of UNESCO’s Global Media and Information Literacy Week, which reminds us of the shared responsibility we have in building a more informed and discerning society. Through this we hope to tell the story of how our communication has evolved, and how the changing platforms and mediums bring new challenges, especially in an environment where information travels quickly and misinformation can easily spread,” he said.
Earlier this year, Meralco also formally joined THINKaMuna Pilipinas, a media and information literacy advocacy program led by MediaQuest Holdings, Inc.
As part of the launch of its own initiative, Meralco unveiled Mapanuring Meralco: Wired Through the Years, an exhibit tracing the evolution of the power distributor’s communication platforms and practices, from traditional print materials to digital channels. The exhibit highlights how Meralco has kept its employees, its customers, and the Filipino public informed across generations, while underscoring the continuing importance of critical thinking as the ways people access and process information evolve.
“Trust is the foundation of Meralco’s relationship with its 8.3 million customers. As employees and communicators of important information, we all play a critical role in protecting that trust,” Hans Montenegro, Meralco First Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, said as he called on employees to always be mindful of the information they consume and share.
Besides the exhibit, Meralco also hosted its first ever Media and Information Literacy Forum on October 30, bringing together participants for discussions on responsible information consumption and critical thinking. The forum targeted to encourage a more deliberate and discerning approach to the information people encounter and share, both at work and in their daily lives
“Information can now travel across millions of screens in seconds through various channels. The importance of everyone’s ability to distinguish facts from false narratives has drastically grown. Technology, algorithms, and artificial intelligence have already transformed the way people receive or gather information and form opinions,” Meralco Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ronnie L. Aperocho said, as he called on employees and stakeholders to become advocates of truth.
“Let us not be afraid to speak up when facts are being distorted. In today’s reality, truth is no longer just something we know. We must actively protect it. We should choose facts over noise, integrity over convenience, and truth over speculation,” he concluded.
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